Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Disability and…Podcast gets right to the heart of some of the most pressing issues in arts, culture and beyond with a series of bold, provocative and insightful interviews with disabled artists, key industry figures and the odd legend. The Disability and…Podcast is currently monthly.
Steph Robson
In this episode of the 'Disability and ...' podcast, we are joined by a lady whose academic achievements speak for themselves. Her credentials include being a senior lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University's Centre for Culture and Disability Studies since 2014, after completing her PhD at Newcastle University in the same year. She has published many research articles with three books that explore the sociospatial and sociocultural understanding of Dwarfism, including the title 'Midgetism: The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism.' She is also an Executive Editor for the Disability and Society Journal. In 2022, she successfully campaigned for Marks and Spencer to change the name of a sweet that used the derogatory 'M word', which is offensive towards people with Dwarfism, to 'Little Gems' despite facing a public backlash. She has also written for many publications, including The Mighty, The Metro, The Big Issue and The Huffington Post. She has been featured on podcasts and radio, such as Always Looking Up on the BBC, and was part of the panel on disability representation in Future Stories by South West in 2023 in the US. More recently, she has been a consultant to Walt Disney Productions regarding dwarfism representation for a major movie. She is a trustee of the award-winning arts organisation DaDa in Liverpool. Her most recent campaign against the chain Greene King, saw over 1000 people signed her petition to rename one of their pubs from the offensive M-word. In her latest work, one contributor, Sam Drummond, states that people with dwarfism are talked about, written about, and portrayed but too rarely are given a pen or microphone. In this episode, we discuss how our guest has given leading practitioners within the community the opportunity to exercise their pens for her latest book, 'Dwarfism, Arts and Advocacy: Creating Our Own Positive Identity'. It is my absolute pleasure to give a very warm welcome to Dr Erin Pritchard. Welcome.
Erin Pritchard
Hi Steph, thank you. Thank you for that introduction.
Steph Robson
Thank you for joining us today Erin, and we're going to talk about your new book, Dwarfism, Arts and Advocacy, which has got a fantastic cover of a burning circus tent, which I think for those in the dwarfism community probably speaks for itself, but for those who are necessarily aware of the connotation or the meaning behind the front cover, would you just like to explain it a little bit?
Erin Pritchard
So, everybody sort of connects people with dwarfism to the circus. You know, that's where we were seen, that's where we were portrayed, to the extent that even doctors, when parents have a child with dwarfism, will tell them, 'You've got a circus child, this kid will work in a circus'. You know, my mother was even asked that when I was about seven years old. Basically, the setting it on fire, it's advocating against this. We're showing people we don't want this, it's a form of anarchy against the circus and telling people where you can shove it, basically.
Speaker 1
So, the aim of the book is to challenge problematic stereotypes and attitudes associated with dwarfism in the arts and media. So how does the book set out that, to achieve that aim?
Erin Pritchard
Well, it starts by giving a voice, a collective voice, to some amazing artists, activists, actors, you know who work in all sorts of forms of entertainment and media, who have dwarfism but do not partake in any sort of derogatory forms of entertainment that people sort of assume we all work in, like panto or, you know, circus or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, because they think that's a job for us and that's all we can do. So it's really about challenging that, and so by giving a voice, not just to myself, but to so many people with dwarfism, it's saying, look, it's not just me talking here, there's so many others.
Speaker 1
Well, I was wondering, you know, whether there were a particular set of themes that you wanted to discuss in the book that you had in mind from the beginning? Like, how did you decide who would be involved as well?
Speaker 2
Well, the sort of themes I wanted was sort of cultural representations of dwarfism and how they're being challenged, though these new sort of cultural representations, not relying on the old. I wanted awareness raising, basically. I wanted this advocacy, which we don't see in the dwarfism community a lot, wanted advocacy to be a main theme, and show that people with dwarfism can be activists, but we need a collective advocacy. And I wanted to give that dwarf pride and voice, because I think there's so much voice in this, and that's the important thing, because our voices get drowned out. They get drowned out by average sized people who, as Professor David Bolt says, have this assumed authority where people talk on our behalf and go, 'That's not offensive! That's not offensive to you whatsoever'. And it's like, oh right. I didn't realise you followed me ... And I wanted what you mention, and a couple of others, -is that dwarf pride. It's the dwarf pride that we have. We can't have pride being thrown across a room, or we can't have pride being in, you know, one of Santa's little elves or Snow White's little helpers, but we can have pride in the things that everyone here does. And so you said, how did I choose these writers? They are writers that I have a lot of respect for, and a lot of pride in that I've seen, and they've given me dwarf pride. Because, as you're probably aware, Steph, when you are growing up, and you were probably one of the only people with dwarfism in your community, and you see these representations on TV, in film, whatever, you don't feel some dwarf pride all the time. But when I, you know, read about people like you, saw your work, I was filled with immense pride. So those are the people I chose, and sort of going around trying to put it on social media and seeing who, but knowing quite a few people already, such as yourself and a few others, I was like, these are just great people, and I want their voice in this collective.
Steph Robson
When did that first spark or the first idea of the like, let's get these collective of people together into a book. Like, how did you approach people?
Erin Pritchard
I sort of knew quite a few people already on social media, and so I was like, you know what, I'm seeing similarities between them and them, you know, different groups, and I thought, we're singing from the same hymn sheet, but we don't know each other. We're very ... it's fractured, and so I thought how can we bring all those people together into one book? And that's what I wanted to do. So I started contacting people with these similar kind of views and commitments and activism. But one of the things was I realised, because I'm also like you say, disability arts, and in my work you know, I've got connections with disability art groups, and I was like, there's no dwarves there. There's no people with dwarfism or there is, but there are very much on the sideline. I think, even with conversations with yourself, when you know we've felt this, that we've been marginalised in disability arts. So like, how do we bring us into disability arts and beyond? That's what I wanted to do.
Steph Robson
But do you think that's because dwarf people have not had that input or development within arts and culture, and there's also an inherent distrust because of the way we have been treated historically? What do you think about that?
Erin Pritchard
I think there's also a hierarchy of disability. So I think we've been very much excluded because people, even disabled people, would say you're not disabled. And I think you said that in your chapter, and I think Tamm Reynolds also mentioned it in their chapter. We grow up being told, 'You're not disabled, you're just small', but of course, through the Social Model, we are very much disabled. A lot of people with dwarfism, they do feel excluded and they're scared of getting into entertainment, because entertainment or any sort of arts, automatically goes, 'Ah, you can be one of Snow White seven little helpers' you know. So even in disability, and I think there's also this sort of thing with disability; it's not seen, it's very stigmatised, so people don't want to necessarily be involved in that. And I mean, before the Social Model, before I learnt about that, I was just like well, what have I got to do with disability? I'm not represented there, it's always a wheelchair user, it's always a person with Down's Syndrome. There is no person with dwarfism in these representations. So I feel like, where do I belong in that?
Steph Robson
To add to that, historically the dwarf body has been objectified within especially paintings, for instance. I guess really, that's the point of reference that our community is coming from. So there's never been that investment in developing artistically and like as you say, it's very fragmented. But how far do you think the book has gone in addressing frustrations with the lack of representation of dwarfism in disability arts?
Speaker 2
I think it's helped to bring together a collective voice, and that's harder to deny. When you've got this collective voice, it is exposed disability hierarchies, it is exposed stereotypes. And even if we got slightly differing opinions, it's exposed that we do not tolerate stereotypes of dwarfism, that we are not akin to going, 'Oh yes, yes, please. I'd be more than happy to play one of Snow White seven little helpers. Oh, I can't wait!' It's exposed that actually, most people turn around go, 'Whoa. No way am I touching that with a barge pole!'. Danny Woodburn now talks about how producers and creators and writers have shown very ableist attitudes when they say, 'Oh no, we can't have a dwarf playing a doctor on ER' and he's turned around and said, but there's plenty of doctors with dwarfism, like Dr Michael Lane, and they still said no. So next time somebody says it's a job for us, I'd like them to consider that and go, well, this is a job for us, you know. So I think it's challenging those experiences, those real life experience that can be quite shocking sometimes to the average reader of this book to go, 'Wow. Okay. So this has given it a new dimension'.
Steph Robson
Yeah, I think you're right there because, you know, I think predominantly from experience within the dwarfism community, there's a very strong charitable awareness raising and educating arm to it. So you've got the charity side, you've got the sports side that's quite developed, but you've got nothing for arts and culture, or arts and advocacy. What do you think the actual differences are between the awareness raising and this, like the arts and advocacy? What is the difference that you're trying to portray in this book?
Speaker 2
I think the awareness raising is really poor. There is very little awareness raising. You know, we had Dwarfism Awareness Month last month, and like I wrote in Rooted in Rights, it's mostly just somebody showing a trident hand or mentioning that there's over 400 different types of dwarfism. That might be awareness, but it doesn't change anything. Whereas, an advocacy can be very powerful, very shocking, and when you shock when you have a shock value, people listen. So, you know, Tamm Reynolds does that in their work when they write this poem, this really problematic poem, and I think it's very powerful when they are in drag as Midgitte Bardot, reclaiming that slur. This gets people listening and it's entertaining without being 'Oh, look at the dwarf. The dwarf body is very entertaining. Let's point and laugh at it'. Their arts work is very entertaining. It's like your artwork, it's very participatory. So when you did the photography, the You're Just Little exhibition, you've got those average-size audiences to sort of look at these images and look at them from our height and that gets some questioning. Because if we go to just a random group of people, you know, 'dwarfism awareness; we can't reach things', people go 'Oh, yeah, bless!' but when you have to put them in that position, it's a lot more powerful. And I think art is a very powerful tool for advocacy, because it engages people, and even if you're just watching a film where a person with dwarfism is playing just an everyday role, like a teacher, or as Danny Woodburn said, a judge on some show then people go 'Oh, right, okay, yeah. Why not in this show? Why can't a person with dwarfism play a judge? He's educated'.
Steph Robson
I think the book points towards some changes for the better in addressing issues of representation. It seems that much of the change is coming from the US, and then kind of the book's inclusion of discussion of by actors and activists like Danny Woodburn, Nic Novicki and Amanda Cachia. Do you think it's significant that it's predominantly US this?
Erin Pritchard
Well, it's a very western based book, so there are voices from Australia and the UK, lots of voices from the US, but that's predominantly got the much larger population than any other country in this book. And I think you also have to think about, it's Hollywood, isn't it? And that's where people with dwarfism are portrayed very problematically. But also they have things like midget wrestling and midget tossing, and, okay, midget tossing originated in Australia, but you know, Angela Van Etten, who is I think, from New Zealand, worked for LPA, Little People of America, and was a strong advocate to get rid of midget tossing in various states in the US. But as we can see now, in the US, you have Donald Trump back in power and one of his team members advocates or supports midget tossing, which is no surprise really. I mean, she works for a tosser doesn't she? So you've got all these sort of significant problems. The freak show originated in like the US and the UK with eugenics, so of course, this is the best place then to have these advocates that are going against those things.
Steph Robson
So how are you hoping that the book will be received?
Erin Pritchard
Positively, I hope. I hope disabled arts industries and stuff will learn from it and provide a space for people with dwarfism, who will go actually, you know what, yeah, they do belong here. There is something unique that they can bring. But I also hope that it surprises people, but makes them change their mind. And I know that's very difficult, because I know from my own campaigns, it's very difficult to change people's minds because they're very stubborn, and even if they try and say they're open minded, and I'm not racist, I'm not this, but they're very much like, you know, I've been very much educated or mansplained that midget isn't an offensive term, even though it's screamed at me, and I know yourself experienced it by people in the street going 'Midget!' and it's like, you know, people don't see that. So these are the things I want people to see and go, okay. It'd be great if, because I've worked with producers and stuff, but more of the film industry could see this; a TV industry could see this and go 'Well, you know what? Maybe we can start treating people with dwarfism as human being. That would be a good start, wouldn't it, you know, instead of play thing.
Steph Robson
That would be wonderful. I think one of the things I mentioned in my chapter was how we are in the room of these gatekeepers, but we're not necessarily at the desk. We're not the one making decisions, and you know, hopefully that your book will actually pave the way to enable that.
Erin Pritchard
What this book does is show that there are about 13 contributors, I think, who are very competent, very intelligent. They very much challenge the stereotype of dwarves. You know, if you're going to hire yourself out to be some little novelty, to be chained to someone for their stag do, if you're going to be an Oompa Loompa and just dance around, of course people aren't going to see you as very intelligent, are they? But when you give people these voices, and they come across as so competent, so intelligent, so articulate, then it's hoped that, yeah, let's bring them to the table, they're not charity cases, these are our equals. And I know that's difficult, because people don't like to see people who are shorter as equal. They don't see people that are short as competent. But here we are, you know, and those are the discussions that they should be having with us, and you're very much right. We should be at the table contributing.
Steph Robson
One of the things that comes across in the book is that all of the contributors, as well as yourself, that everyone's first like discrimination, prejudice and ignorance, either within or outside of the dwarfism community, each one of us has actually turned that lived experience into something, I don't want to say positive, but we've tried to change the world for the better, or our particular spheres of world for the better. And I was just wondering what themes came out with the book for yourself?
Erin Pritchard
Certainly a dwarf pride, a dwarf pride came out. I think that's something we've been searching for, for years and never had, and now we have it. Other themes were discrimination in the entertainment industry, whether that is through like physical access, that opened my eyes to sort of why they don't cast disabled people. Prejudiced attitudes, very prejudiced, that very open prejudice that you probably won't get away with other people, like, 'Oh, we can't do that. No, you can't play a doctor' and it's like 'What?!' I think, very self advocate... you know, this advocacy that we never really noticed before in dwarfism communities because we've just been oppressed for so long, silent. And I think people have been, you know, embodied that and just gone, yeah, there's no point shouting out about this. I think there is, and I also think one of the really interesting things was comedy, because even though we are very much stereotyped as these comical figures, a lot of the advocacy in here, turns that on its head and goes, no we're not comic figures. We can be in comedy, by all means, but we're not the comic figure. Another theme was this notion, it's quite a hot topic at the moment, which is about height altering treatments, and there was a couple of people that wrote about that, and said, whilst they've had it done, and the reasons for that, they still were very critical of it. Emily Sullivan Sanford and Tamm Reynolds, they were very critical of it in that they had it done. Emily is definitely her choice, but it was still like I've had to get this done because of the abuse of society, because to be accepted in society, I have to change as well. I don't want people having to change, if they want to get it done then fine, but we should be accepted for who we are and have that pride of who we are.
Steph Robson
So was there any particular standout chapters, like for yourself?
Erin Pritchard
I just was blown away by all the chapters. I loved them all. Alice Lambert, because it was so strong, like she was very open. Said, Yeah, I've done Panto, and I regret it. And she exposed what it's like to really be in panto, and it's not the happy little beings that we people think we are, like she pointed out herself, you're not professionals, you're not actors, you're suit fillers, you sneeze or yawn and that's it. You're not acting. People are there to see the dwarf body. They're amused by the dwarf body. It's like this freak show treat that you can get if you go and watch Snow White, you know, the panto. Danny Woodburn's because he's worked in the industry, you know, in acting in Hollywood, as in Seinfeld, and he gave us that insight into it that, you know, I could write about, but I haven't got the insight. So, you know, working with some great producers, working with some horrible producers, working with Angela Lansbury. So I was like, that's definitely brilliant, you know, because I was like, I love her. Yours, because it was just obviously talking about this brilliant art exhibition that I wanted people to know of of the photography and the work you do and foster in dwarf pride. And, of course, Tam Reynolds, because I was like, wow, this person me, Midgette Bardot, it's like, so controversial in some ways, but also, I love the way that they spoke about how drag spaces or queer space is more accommodating to them than disability spaces, disabled spaces, they feel more included. They feel more at home because they are accepted there as a person with dwarfism as well as somebody who is part of the LGBTQ community. So those were some standout chapters. But I think every one of them had its own merit and strength, and will, you know, really make its mark?
Steph Robson
Who do you think the audience for the book is?
Erin Pritchard
I think it was everyone, because, given that, with the snow white stuff, everybody's like an expert on dwarfism without ever meeting a person with dwarfism, without having dwarfism. But I've learned, you know, with this recent campaign of getting rid of the name midget from a pub, people say, No, it's not offensive. It's not offensive to people with dwarfism. I'm like, all right, well, that's lovely. Once again, I'm getting told by an average sized person it's not offensive. And I think they need to read these I don't think they will, but those are the kind of people that need to read it, see those struggles. Anybody who ever says that panto or any sort of derogatory entertainment is a job for us needs to read this book, because what it shows is it's not a job for us. We are more capable of that. TV, film producers need to read it, but like what you said yourself, you know you wish when, when in your 20s and 30s, you would read it. And I wish I had had a book like this when I was sort of in my 20s to say, wow, we're more capable of this, drama teaches the lot. They all need to read it.
Steph Robson
I honestly, I honestly think reading it its like, I'm not sure that's the right word, but it's like a seminal book on dwarfism and changing the conversation around what dwarfism is. How we need to be represented, and I think what our role is, yes, in disability arts, but also the wider world. And like what tables like highlighting what tables we're actually missing at, because even though we have better representation, say with the likes of Sinead Burke and Ellie Simmons. How many people are still ordinary people with dwarfism are still getting a huge amount of abuse on the street, and also, what opportunities are actually artistic and advocacy opportunities are there to be able to develop our voices as well, to be able to just state clearly what our needs are and what fights and what fights we need.
Erin Pritchard
Just to add to that, like I think associations for people with dwarfism should read this, but my previous books are very academic based. They still have advocacy in them, but they're very academic that, you know, they're gathering dust in a in an academic library, whereas this one, I purposely did it so that it's not just academic, but it's for the public as well. And that's why I wanted a lot of people dwarfism writing that because it it comes from a more engaging sort of voice. It's not all this academic jargon, and that's what I wanted people, because it's for everyone this book, it's not just for academics. It's definitely going on the reading list here. Of course, none of the students will read it, but it's still on the reading list. How we can make true change is by having, you know, more society reading it.
Steph Robson
As the editor, how did you find the process of pulling this book together?
Erin Pritchard
Like any edited book, it could be frustrating at times, because it was very different to editing an academic book, because I realised a lot of the contributors who I'm very grateful to had other commitments, of course. It was very difficult in that sense, and it was so empowering reading these contributions these chapters. It was frustrating at times, because to hear some of those horrible stories that they share and go this isn't right when some producers saying, no, a dwarf cannot play a doctor. It's like, oh, my god, you just want to go there and smack him. It was so empowering to me, because sometimes in academia, when I've led campaigns, even if they've been successful, the abuse I've got off everyday people who then seem to forget about it and go and abuse, you know, the next minority group the week later, whichever one the Daily Mail is telling them to get abusive towards that week. It was just so fantastic to read those chapters, and so strengthening, if that's where it just yeah, I just felt, oh, wow. Because for years I've just felt, where is this community for people with dwarfism and where's the activism? You know, you've had some associations going for decades, and there's been very little change. And so you just feel really disheartened. But when you find all this collective and it's one after the other going done this, and I believe in this, and this is what we need to say, Wow, this is what we need. And I hope that's when people read each chapter, they go, yes, it's not just me, and there's some amazing advocates there, but they might be in Australia, they might be in the US. They might be in Germany. They might be in the UK, you know, Sunderland or London, but they're there.
Steph Robson
How will you know that the book has been a success? How do you measure that yourself and for the community?
Erin Pritchard
I think it's very difficult, because whenever books, I never know if they're being sold or what, but I then have people emailing me about my book and going, oh we've been using this in our syllabus. We've been using this, you know, if I'm at a conference they'll go, I've been using your book, like, really well, you know what you got to like a loose table or something. And then, no, no, no, we've been using it in class, and it's great, and I think that's one of the ways. And I think it's just about sharing it, and people talking about it, keeping those conversations going. It's so hard to measure impact sometimes, but just that, if people are engaging with it, and I think just it's a success, just having it published. As far as I'm concerned, the feedback and response we got from Emerald when, when I put this proposal through, they were like, yes, this is what we're looking for. And so that's been an achievement.
Steph Robson
How do you think the book will build on dwarfism pride and its contribution to disability arts?
Erin Pritchard
We think we're putting our voice in there, aren't we? We're putting this and putting on the bookshelf alongside other disability art books, disability art books that I've been looking through and going, okay, there's, ah, yeah, a wheelchair user, or this person with mobility impairments that dances great, and this person with down syndrome that dances and does this, or, you know, this comedian who's got cerebral palsy, brilliant, okay, where's the dwarves? We're the biggest, you know, sort of cultural representation of disability, we're, in every you know cultural representation, where are we in disability arts? We're not. So this book is to go alongside those ones and to be used by disability arts and stuff in the dwarfism communities to show you're not alone. There's this collective voice. It's not just one or two people going, you know, like everybody goes on about Peter Dinklage being fantastic, yeah. And you know he is. But not everyone can become Peter Dinklage, okay? Because, like not everybody can become an amazing actor, like Alan Rickman or Gene Wilder or any of those so, but he's put himself there. He's managed to get there. But we all know that's not always achievable. So there's others. There's loads of others out there. You don't have to be a suit filler, as Alice Lambert says, But you have to work hard at it. You have to work hard at your best, and you cannot just expect it, like lots of people with dwarfism go into entertainment, expecting a role because they're dwarves. No, you expect a role because you're talented and work hard, but even then, you're not going to get it, you know, unless you're somebody you know, a nepo baby. So what this does is say, we've all worked hard and we've all met barriers, and we've all experienced these barriers, but you've got to keep at them. You've got to keep pushing through and you can, you know, all these artists here are successful, but it doesn't mean that they haven't met had obstacles or had to push against things that have made them feel uncomfortable. They haven't just gone, okay, right? I'll put on this suit, and there job done, they've said no, and I think that's we need to do, is have a voice and not be submissive.
Steph Robson
You're right. I think there's an element of you've got to learn your craft just like anybody, whether you've got dwarfism or not, you've got to learn your craft. But then for us, it's mixed with all we have running alongside is the prejudice and the discrimination to prove that we are capable of our craft. And as people with dwarfism, you know, it can be really difficult to untangle what and is discrimination and prejudice and what is actually constructive criticism. And how do you think your book differentiates between the two, or shows that?
Erin Pritchard
Shows like in certain chapters like Nic Novivki or Danny Woodburn or something, that there are difficulties just getting any acting profession. You know you're gonna get, meet barriers, but it's then, and sometimes you just meet ignorance, and you've just got to challenge that in a very productive way. There is absolute discrimination that they experience. But then there is this thing. Well, you know that the role wasn't the role wasn't for you, but go and talk to people and keep at it. Keep at it, keep chipping away, keep pushing and because that's the only way you can ever get somewhere you can't just go, Okay, I'll just take the easy route here. And I think, you know, even Danny Woodburn and all that, acknowledge that it is difficult for people with dwarfism. And so of course, then they end up in doing the very derogatory roles, and they don't blame them for that, but if we want producers and writers and all that to see us as more than a suit filler, we need to say no, and that can be difficult. I am aware of that. I'm aware of some people's financial circumstances, which might, you know, not like might sort of force them into that. But I think overall, we have to be very strong. And if we want change, we have to enact it ourselves. We cannot wait for it to come along. We cannot wait for others to do it. We have to be a collective.
Steph Robson
Do you think that's actually possible right now in the dwarfism community?
Erin Pritchard
I think it's possible at any time, and I don't think there's any right time to do it. I mean, right now, it's a horrible climate to be in, but I think the more voices, the better. I mean, you never have this perfect opportunity, do you. I mean, the civil rights movements and all that those happened at some horrible time. Okay, people just didn't wake up and go, You know what? Let's not be racist anymore. And then, you know, African Americans go, Okay, this is our time to shine. They had to just take any opportunity and push for it. Same with the disability community in general, when they were fighting for disability access rights in the 60s and 70s, you know, people were very against that, like, you know, they met some horrible attitudes, like UCLA saying, we don't get people like you studying here. Well, no, of course not, because you've never let us. And so that's when the rolling forwards have to say, no, tough. We're fighting for this we're coming onto your space. So I just think now is a better time than any because the sooner the better. I think we've left it way too long.
Steph Robson
Do you think it's possible for people within the wider dwarfism community to get behind that because of the division between those who are for entertainment and who are?
Erin Pritchard
I think this is a book that should help us get behind it. Those who are for derogatory entertainment, they're always gonna sort of either because they've always been given more of a voice, even within the dwarfism community, than we have. And so I think it's about time that those tables were turned. So I do think that it is difficult, but now we should be doing it. It's not ostracizing them, but just trying to educate. And find ways of then including them and being inclusive. But I think now is a good time as any.
Steph Robson
Yeah, fingers crossed. So will there be a sequel?
Erin Pritchard
like to hope so, I mean, I had this wonderful conversation today with Sophie Turner, who's based in the Netherlands, who does dwarfism advocacy like, wow, why didn't I know about you last year? You know? Because, yeah, there's so many more great people. And I'd hope that because people said to me, Well, why isn't I including Well, I didn't know you. Okay? I put the call out. That's all I can do. And so there's other people just keep springing to mind, and I'd love to hope that they would want to be part of this. Part of this, another book, a sequel, it'd be great. The more voices, the better. I'd
Steph Robson
And so what are the plans in the future?
Erin Pritchard
Currently, I'm working on another book on dwarfism in TV and film, and so providing a critical analysis of those you know, fantasy to, like everyday sitcoms, comedy, um, anything like that. So, you know, the wizard of oz and all those. And even the newest film, Wonka, which I watched and thought, you know, it's a very complex there's lots of criticisms, but I think it's more complex. I'm also just had a very successful campaign of getting a pub to rename drop the name midget and be called the roaring raindrop. But currently there's people backlash against that, people who never experienced hate crime or hate speech, I should say disabled hate speech, who need to really recognize their own privileges and very privileged life of being able to go down the streets and not have midgets screamed at them be called a midget, or be told that they can't do this because they're a midget, or being asked for a photograph because they're a midget. So I think that's my newest work and so I'm hoping other people get behind that. But again, we need that collective in the community, because there's so few of us, and unfortunately, in the current climate, there's a lot more bigots out there who feel the need to share their voice.
Steph Robson
To finish, what would be your rallying cry to encourage people from the dwarfism community and from disability arts and the wider communities to encourage dwarfism to be included at the table?
Erin Pritchard
Because we're stronger as a group, and we're stronger together. And people in the disability community, you know, we experience similar discrimination, whether it's physical barriers, social barriers and cultural representations, we all have those similarities, and we will support you, and you support us, and we're stronger together in that way. And you know, the overall, like establishment of all that wants to fracture these communities, because divide and conquer. So we need to come together, and we need to fight together. And dwarfism, you know, when people with dwarfism would make a valuable contribution to disability art, and disability arts could be a very valuable ally to us. And so we need to work together.
Steph Robson
Thank you, Erin. And for people who want to be able to read your book, where can they find it? Where can they buy it?
Erin Pritchard
currently on the Emerald publishing website. So emerald publishers, it can be bought as an e book, or hard back, there is a discount. I think it's EME30. And, of course, I think the major book shops. I mean, I don't want to encourage Amazon, but Amazon if they sell it, but I would go to the publisher first. But yeah, hopefully any good bookstore. I think I saw it on WH Smiths of all places as well. It's
Steph Robson
How does it feel when you see your book out in the wild?
Erin Pritchard
It's always great. I mean, the first one, I was like, Wow, this is amazing, It's actually being sold and then see it again. But this one, I'm like, wow. Because the strong cover, and I think going back to that cover, the circus tent, it's like the Phoenix, isn't it? It's rising from the ashes. So let's burn this, burn the circus, put it in the past, and rise with some much better representation that is owned by us and not created by the average size person who gets to go, you know, this is what you should be recognized as, because you need to be lower and unequal to us. No, we're creating a representation that puts us on an equal footing with the rest of society. That's what I wanted to do.
Steph Robson
Well Thank you very much, Erin, I think that's a perfect place to finish. Thank you for the interview today with the Disability and... podcast, and best of luck with your future work and the book.
Erin Pritchard
Thank you, Steph, and obviously I just want to keep hearing about your work and having platforms for that and seeing more of it. And hopefully the disability arts community will maybe take more notice of fantastic artists such as yourself. Thanks very much. Erin.